Dead Planet Book 1 Exodus

by Drew Avera

  Chapter 17

  I left Ceane's building and walked out onto the gridlocked street. Vehicles were stopped due to the protests that were erupting all over Archea and most likely the entire planet. I looked up into the sky and could see that it was later in the afternoon that I had thought. It must have been several hours since I had last checked on Thom so I decided to go visit him in the hospital. It was at least a forty five minute walk through the bustling city streets to get there so I decided that it was best to take the back streets to get there. There was too much at stake for me to keep tempting fate by allowing myself to become an easy target. I would not be able to accomplish anything if I were dead.

  I made my way to the hospital in under an hour and entered through the rear entrance. This area was relatively empty of people and enabled me to go unnoticed. Thom had been placed in room four twelve on the fourth floor. I entered the first elevator at the end of the hallway and pressed the circular up button to make the door open. I climbed aboard and waited until it lifted me to Thom's floor. His room was just around the corner to the right. I knocked at the door lightly with my fingers hoping that I would not disturb him if he were sleeping.

  "Enter." He said. I walked into the room and was happy to see that he was in much better spirits than he had been earlier in the day. "Hey, Serus. I was just thinking about contacting you. Have you found anything about Kara yet?" He asked.

  "Not yet," I said as I sat on the chair in the corner, it was not as comfortable as it looked. My entire body was sore and weary from all of the walking and fighting I had endured recently. I could see my reflection in the mirror across the room. Dark circles were under my eyes making me look like death warmed over, my cheeks were sunken in and I looked like I hadn‘t eaten in months. My hair was unkempt and I thought to myself that I looked like a homeless person wearing an expensive suit. I was a total wreck.

  "I'm sorry to hear it." Thom said in a low voice. The swelling on his face had gone down dramatically since the last I had seen him. The medication and ice pack had done wonders on his wounds but he still looked like hell.

  "I Appreciate that. I have come across some information though that could help me find her. I just wanted to check in on you and see how you were feeling." I was genuinely concerned for him, he was my closest friend and had willingly put himself in the middle of this drama.

  "I feel great! They gave me this pill that makes me not feel anything. Seriously, Serus, don't worry about me. Go out there and find Kara. She needs you a lot more than I do." I could tell that he was still hurting physically and that he was just trying to put my mind at ease about it. I’ll admit that I needed that ease of conscience.

  Thom's communicator buzzed on the table next to his hospital bed and he groaned slightly when he reached over to grab it. He answered it in a low voice which was typical. Most policemen practiced this tactic to prevent someone else from eavesdropping on our conversations. A lot of the information put out by the Agency was classified. It wasn't that we were rude, it was just a matter of the way we were trained.

  "Thank you." He said before closing the connection of the line. Thom ran his hand across the good side of his face before moving up to his hair. He had a look of bewilderment stretched across his face. I couldn’t imagine what could have shocked him like that.

  "Are you alright?" I asked.

  "Uh, yeah." He said still looking somewhat confused as he fumbled his communicator from his hands and onto his lap. "That was someone with the lottery service. My name was drawn. I‘m booked for transport in two days."

  I was taken aback. This didn't line up with what Pontiff White had said was part of the Syndicate’s plan. What was going on here? "Really? You have been chosen to be transported back to Earth?" I asked in as enthusiastic of a voice as I could muster. I really could not believe it. Confusion swept over me with a little bit of anger sprinkled in. I knew that I shouldn’t show this emotion to Thom. It wasn't his fault. Maybe White didn't know how the lottery worked, or maybe he was out of the loop. The Syndicate wasn't an organization that necessarily followed it’s own logic. Still it was quite a leap to go from saving the rich and powerful and moving all the way up to saving members of the Agency, we were the expendable part of society. Something wasn't right and I was determined that I was going to figure out what that was.

  "That's great news, Thom! Listen though, I really need to jump on this lead that I have and try to find Kara so I'm going to head out now, will you be alright?" I hoped that he didn’t sense the withdrawal from my voice. This was just too much to consume right now.

  "Yeah! Go on, I'll be here watching the media report. Let me know what you find out." He said.

  "I will." I walked out of the room as anger and frustration battled for my attention. It was getting very difficult to cover up my emotions, but I didn't want to make Thom upset by making him think that I was angry with him. I owed him a debt of gratitude for trying to save Kara. I just felt like I had been double crossed by someone, but the evidence didn't point to who. I wanted to trust White because he gave me the list of names for who might have Kara, plus he gave me information that kept me from getting killed by an ambush of policemen residing outside of the palace that same night that we formed our alliance. On the other hand, you should never trust a politician. I was in too deep to back out now. My first priority was to find Kara and regroup. There was a lot on the line and I aimed to follow through with the plan, regardless of who I had to kill to achieve it.

  Chapter 18

  I walked out of the hospital with my head in a daze. I couldn't believe it, Thom had won the lottery? I thought that it was supposed to be rigged. I thought it was in place just to keep the average citizens occupied while the wealthy members of the Syndicate left them here to die. Was I told wrong? Was the Syndicate not some evil looming figure of doom and gloom that has been hovering over the lives of other people? Was Pontiff White simply trying to use me to gain some kind of leverage against the Syndicate? There were too many questions clouding my mind right now. I had to stay focused. I had to find Kara.

  I turned the corner heading north when suddenly I was blindsided an attack. I was knocked to the ground by a heavy blunt object. I rolled onto my back and looked up to see my attackers. I was surrounded by six policemen, each of them had their gauntlets sighted onto my chest. There was nothing I could do. Any sudden movement and I would be killed by six blue lasers scorching into my chest cavity. I was powerless against them, I laid there bewildered and then I was knocked out by a boot hurdling through the air and striking my head.

  I woke up later and realized that I was tied up in the back of a vehicle. I could hear radio transmissions from inside, but I did not recognize any of the voices. The vehicle was driving quickly through what I assumed were very busy streets because of all of the swerving and some of the bumps caused me to bounce around quite a bit. I struggled to break free from the rope that was binding my hands together. It was a useless effort, I couldn't break free.

  After several minutes the vehicle finally stopped. The compartment door opened and I expected to see where I had been taken but I soon realized that a black shroud had been placed over my face. I could hear some noises like running water and footsteps, but that was all. I couldn't figure out where I had been taken with those few sounds. I tried to sniff the air but the shroud muted my senses and prevented me from taking in the smells of the location. I was clueless as to where I was.

  Two sets of arms grabbed me and stood me up. They pushed and forced me to walk as they guided me through what seemed like a long set of corridors. I could hear several footsteps clacking on the ceramic tiles of the floor and some metal doors were opened and then closed before I was shoved into a stiff metal chair. The shroud was then ripped from my head and I could see that I was sitting in a darkened room with a single bright light that shined inches from my head. I could make out the figures of several men in business suits standing around me, but I could not see their faces. The light was bli
nding and I was forced to either look at the ground or close my eyes.

  "So very nice to finally meet the man who has been terrorizing my brothers and sisters in the Syndicate." The voice spoke with a slight accent like someone who had lived in many locations, but had never settled in one for long. It was distinct in its ambiguity and nothing more.

  "Who are you?" I asked.

  "Names are not important, but since you will not live beyond this day I will tell you that my name is Sorell. I imagine you have probably heard of me based on the fact that you have killed an associate of mine," He was the kind of man who was cocky about the power he wielded. He spoke with a kind of amusement in his voice, like he was on the verge of laughter. I sensed that there was something maniacal about this man, he was definitely the kind of person who would have had Kara abducted.

  "What do you want with me?" I snapped.

  "I just want you out of the way," He said. "I could have had you killed in the street like an animal, but I believe there is more to your cause than just a man looking for his sister. Is that so?" He asked.

  "I don't know. Is it?" I asked defiantly.

  "I like you." He laughed. "You speak with an air of authority, but you are nothing. You speak defiantly, but your defiance is what is getting you killed. You are a paradox, Serus. And that is very entertaining to me."

  "I'm here to please," I quipped.

  "Very well," He made some kind of gesture and appeared to speak to the men around him. "Gentlemen, once you have been properly entertained by Serus I encourage you to continue that entertainment down the hall with his sister. She has refused to cooperate with me and I'm done trying to negotiate, I just want to clear the slate. Kill them both."

  "Wait!" I said.

  "Yes?"

  "I need to know. How did you know where to find me?" I was sure that I already knew the answer. White had to have double crossed me. I just needed to hear it, I needed to know for sure.

  "That information was given to me by your associate," He said.

  "So White sold me out?" I asked.

  "Hardly, but you just sold him out. Thank you for relaying the information. And to answer your question. Your friend Thom Brine alerted us to your location."

  "What? Thom? Why would he do that?" I asked.

  "There is a simple answer to that question, Serus. He ratted you out for a lottery ticket." Just the way he said it sent a dagger into my heart. I was betrayed by someone who I thought had been my friend. I had trusted him! He sold Kara and I out for a lottery ticket to Earth? I would have provided his escape by killing people like Sorell, but now I was facing the end as Kara was held captive down the hall. I was betrayed!

  The door to the room was opened and several men including Sorell stepped out. I could hear the breathing of two men behind me as I craned my neck to the side and cracked some vertebrae. During the time Sorell that had been speaking I had been working to loosen my restraints. I had been able to adjust the control on my gauntlet and now I was armed and ready. I was not about to go down without a fight. Not today. Not ever.

  Chapter 19

  One of the men grabbed me by the shoulder and I fired my gauntlet behind me in a sweeping circle with a twist of my wrist, I was able to hit the man holding me in the leg and he cried out in pain. The other man was apparently not armed and ran for the door. I stood up and spun my back to him and fired in a wide arc. The laser cut against the metal walls and heated them up so that smoke emitted from them. The laser impacted the man’s body and severed him in half. The first man was scrounging for a weapon when I spun around and fired, killing him as well. I walked over to the first man and found a knife on his belt. I grabbed it and fumbled around with it until I was able to cut the rope that was binding my hands together. I was free, and now I knew where Kara was being held.

  The benefit of being in a room that was sound proof was that no one heard the commotion of the fight, or my breaking free. I slowly opened the door and peered into the hallway. I found myself on one end of the hallway and figured that Kara would be at the other end. I ran as quietly as I could and came up to the last door. I jiggled at the door knob and found that it was looked. I fired my gauntlet into the door frame until the lock broke and I shoved the door open. I probably should have checked the guards for keys first, but the gauntlet had worked just find. I peaked in and could see a woman with long black hair wearing a pant suit hunched over a chair. I ran over to her and checked her vital signs. As soon as I touched her she startled awake and kicked me in the leg. For some reason I thought that she may have been unconscious.

  "Oh my, Serus? It's you!" She shrieked.

  "Yes, it's me. Are you alright?" I asked while rubbing my shin.

  "I am now." She said. "Sorry I kicked you, but please get me the hell out of here!"

  “It’s alright, sorry I scared you,“ I said as I cut through the rope that was tied around her wrists. After I had finished with the knife I tossed it aside and helped Kara stand before I checked her for injuries. She seemed to be alright.

  "Can you walk?" I asked.

  "Yes. I feel a little weak from not eating, but I'm fine other than that." She said.

  I grabbed Kara's hand and pulled her along. I peered out of the door and listened for any kind of alarm that may have been set off when I escaped. I didn't see or hear anything so Kara and I ran down the hallway to the double doors. I kicked them open and was shocked to see three policemen standing outside waiting for us.

  I pushed Kara out of the way and fired at the policeman standing closest to me, hitting him in the chest. I dove out of the way as a beam was fired in my direction. Kara was hiding around the corner and I went to the opposite corner so that I could fire at the other men without potentially harming her. Each time I peaked around the corner another blast of blue beam almost took my head off. This was the first time that I had feared for my own safety in a very long time. My heart raced and I could feel tension building up around me. Fear was becoming a distraction at a time that I needed to focus, not only for my life, but for Kara’s as well.

  I fired my gauntlet into the stomach of another man as he approached. His momentum carried him within a few feet of Kara who screamed when he landed next to her. I thought he was dead, but then he reached his hand out to Kara and grabbed at her. There was nothing I could do because I was taking fire from a policeman down the hall and if I fired in Kara's direction then I might hit her.

  I frantically fired at the policeman down the hall but I could not hit him. Each time I emerged from the corner he fired at me again. He was in a position that I could not defend against properly.

  "Kara!" I screamed. "Don't just sit there. Fight back!"

  Kara was crying and struggling to break free from his grip. The man had her wrist and was pulling himself closer to her. If he could get his hands around her throat then he would kill her. I looked around the corner again and quickly pulled back as a blue beam was fired passed my head. I looked back at Kara and her assailant, his wounds were horrible and blood was running out of his mouth. It was obvious to me that he was in shock, but the adrenalin in his body and the programming of his mind allowed him to continue trying to carry out the mission like all policemen are trained to do. Injuries or not, the mission always came first.

  Kara was still crying and struggling to break free from his grip. I had to do something, but each time I tried to line up a shot I was afraid to fire. At this range if I shot her it would be point blank and I would kill her. It was a risk that I could not take.

  The policeman was clawing at her and trying to pin her down. Kara screamed as she struggled even harder. Another laser beamed passed by my head when I looked back. I glanced over at Kara to see her fighting the policeman on the ground. Suddenly she reached down at his guard belt and grabbed his knife from its sheath. In a wail of tears she began stabbing the man in his back over and over until he was breathing no more. I must confess that I was shocked by her reaction. I never imagined her capable of that kind of b
rutality. She sat there with her hands covered in blood and looked at the knife in her hand. She was almost hyperventilating at the shock of her reaction to the situation. She had to have stabbed him at least twenty times.

  Apparently the policeman down the hall was also shocked by what had happened and stopped firing. I took advantage of his lack of attention and fired a blue beam straight into his skull. The fight was over now and I had to get Kara out of here while we still had the chance. As much as I wanted to kill Sorell I just couldn't risk Kara's life to do so right now.

  I grabbed Kara's hand and helped her up. “Kara, it’s alright, he’s dead.”

  “I know,” she said with tears welled up in her eyes. Her breathing was beginning to settle down. I sensed that she was starting to shut down emotionally, it was a normal psychological method of coping with a tragedy, most policemen experience it in one form or other.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said as I tugged at her hand. She looked up at me and nodded. I held her hand as we both ran through the hallways trying to find an exit door.

  "I know where we are!" Kara said as she slowed to a stop.

  "What? Where are we?" I asked.

  "The university." She said as she tried wiping the tears from her eyes. "I used to work in this building a few years ago."

  "Great. So how do we get out of here?" I asked.

  "We were just in the old storage area in the back. If we take a left here we will find an exit into a parking area behind the university." Kara ran ahead and I followed close behind her. She seemed to be coping with the situation that required her to kill that man. Killing was not an easy thing to deal with psychologically. I expected that I may need to help her through it later. Right now she was running on adrenaline while we tried to escape. I could see the rear exit doors down the hall as sunlight shown through the glass windows. Kara and I ran out into an empty parking area and were thankful that no one was around. No alarms or anything were sounding and it seemed that we had made a successful escape, at least for now.